Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)

Prairie Hill Water Supply Corporation

PCBs are synthetic chemicals banned in the U.S. since the 1970s because of their toxicity. PCBs contaminate water by leaching from landfills and hazardous waste clean-up sites. PCBs increase the risk of cancer. Read More.

Up until the late 1970s, PCBs were used widely as coolants and lubricants in transformers, capacitors and other electrical equipment. Currently, PCBs are widely detected in the general population. They build up and are stored in fatty tissues and fluids such as breast milk, and can be passed on to fetuses and infants during pregnancy and breast-feeding. In human epidemiological studies, PCBs have been associated with an elevated risk of breast and prostate cancers. Infants and children with higher PCB exposures during development score lower on measures of neurological function, ranging from decreased IQ scores to� reduced hearing sensitivity. PCBs also affect hormones and damage the immune system.

 

24

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

0

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
2018ND40ND
2019ND40ND
2020ND40ND
2021ND40ND
2022ND40ND
2023ND40ND

ppb = parts per billion

State, National, and Health Guidelines for Drinking Water

EWG Health Guideline: 0.09 ppb

The EWG Health Guideline of 0.09 ppb for PCBs was defined by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment as a public health goal, the level of a drinking water contaminant that does not pose a significant health risk. This health guideline protects against cancer.

EPA Maximum Contaminant
Level (MCL): 0.5 ppb

The legal limit for PCBs, established in 1991, was based on analytical detection limits at the time that the standard was set. This limit may not fully protect against the risk of cancer due to PCB exposure.

ppb = parts per billion

All test results

Date Lab ID Result
2018-02-28Q1808375007ND
2018-05-16Q1820016002ND
2018-08-28Q1834469002ND
2018-11-30Q1848870002ND
2019-03-06Q1909672001ND
2019-06-18Q1937231001ND
2019-09-17Q1966444001ND
2019-11-20Q1977662001ND
2020-02-04Q2004537003ND
2020-04-16Q2015046001ND
2020-07-27Q2029176001ND
2020-12-10Q2049384001ND
2021-02-01Q2102880001ND
2021-05-18Q2112934001ND
2021-09-16Q2125445001ND
2021-11-17Q2132319001ND
2022-03-03Q2207369001ND
2022-06-07Q2215833001ND
2022-08-22Q2224811002ND
2022-10-27Q2232634002ND
2023-03-08Q2309137004ND
2023-05-30Q2319930001ND
2023-09-19Q2340255001ND
2023-11-03Q2347302001ND